When a 53-year-old Sean Connery resurrected the role of James Bond in 1983 after a 12-year break, even the title of the movie in which the debonaire Scotsman strapped on his Walther PPK and took on the forces of Spectre one last time seemed to hint at the project’s questionable nature.

Royal Bank of Scotland enjoyed tax breaks and deferrals amounting to an estimated £1bn after financing the film distribution rights to a string of blockbusters including Troy, Batman Begins and two of the Harry Potter series.